I'm curious what others use as a home base, store everything bag. I'm running out of room in my Tamrac System 13 Pro, and the System 14 seems to be the next logical step, but before I make the move, I'd like to hear what others are using. For comparison's sake, here is what I store:
D700 w/grip
28-300 3.5-5.6 Zoom
24mm 2.8 Prime
28mm 2.8 Prime
50mm 1.4 Prime
85mm 1.4 Prime
105 2.8 Micro/Macro
Future 200 or 300mm fast zoom
(2) Sb600 speedlights
(1) SB700 Speedlight
Various Filters
Cleaning kit both for glass and Sensor including sensor loupe
The usual assortment of accessories
I rarely take everything with me, and I have a couple of shoulder bags and a backpack for the light trips, but when I'm home I like to keep it all together and covered up.
Think Tank Airport Addicted. Largest legal carry on case available. The 8" depth is really useful packing all of the lenses end on and most with hoods mounted while in the bag.
2 bodies, 10 lenses and lots of accessories:
5DII, L barcket with 24-70 hood mounted
D60 IR
400/5.6 hood slides back
70-200/2.8 IS hood reversed
135/2 hood mounted
100/2.8 macro, hood reversed
Zeiss 50/2 Makro Planar, hood mounted
Zeiss 35/2 hood mounted
24 TSE/3.5 hood mounted
Zeiss 21/2.8 hood mounted
Rokinon 14/2.8 hood mounted
1.4x TC
420 EX
Case for round filters/step ups (8)
Case for Cokin P filter holder, Cokin Z Pro holder and 8 filters
RRS pano clamp & nodal rail
Manfrotto 055CXPro4 with RRS BH40, lever clamp on the outside of the bag
Lots of other random small stuff: headlamp, hoodman, 2 extra batteries, Gig View LCD, extension tubes, compass, Photoflex disc, Wimberly Plamp, Lens pen, extra CF, remote, etc.
Its pretty heavy!
Cool, going to look into that! I have think tanks bags, so the airport addict has been on my radar, so to speak, but I dont see myself needing to take everything with me....
Store everything? I have two large cabinets, but also some backpacks. If you have younger kids at home or a lot of visitors, it helps to have something with a lock.
Thanks EBH! No kids, but plenty of nephews and nieces...good thing to consider. I think the pelican case will work nicely and it locks! Just have to find a slightly used one my wife will let me buy!
Dont have a pic handy but I have a TT airport international and I love the thing, get a ton of gear in there... 400 2.8, 300 2.8 two bodies and smaller lenses or no 300 and the 70-200 and 28-70 and a lot of extras
I, too, use the TT Airport Int. 2 for my at home storage. But I need something a tad bigger. The Pelican 1660 setup looks like a good upgrade for me and, with athe handles, it could also double as a back-of-the-SUV solution for a day-roadtrip.
Thanks for all the ideas! Jcolwell: that's an excellent cabinet! Looks more like a camera store! I think I'm going with the pelican for the time being. They seem to hold their value pretty well, in case I change my mind...
I have a complete Chamonix 4x5 system (4 lenses), a complete half plate tailboard camera system, eight lenses made before 1937 (some big brass ones from pre-Civil War,) a Nikon system with 2 camera bodies and six lenses, and x6 WL X3200 monolights, x2 AB B1600 monolights, x6 Vagabond batteries, x8 13ft. lightstands, x5 8 ft. lightstands, reflectors, grids, triggers, etc., and x7 Nikon SB-28 flash + one SB-900. I keep most of it in a large closet. For out in the field with the Nikon gear, I too have gone with modular bag system. I hate big bags and backpacks.
I keep my gear in various (way too many) bags, but it does get frustrating when looking for a specific lens to determine which bag you last used it with. Thus, there is too much searching through bags to find something.
I have a medium sized Pelican which I wanted to put in the den to keep all the gear in for use around the house, then select a bag and the gear I want for a trip or outing. However, my wife doesn't like the looks of it in the den, and strongly suggests it be put in the basement ... not exactly convenient for my usage!
I recently noticed that I had several nice solid-oak CD/DVD "Cube" cabinets, each with 3 drawers on sliding rails and felt lining in the drawers with reconfigurable small wood divider sticks. I no longer use physical CDs when listening to music, preferring to stream the music from my computer or iPod through the stereo, so these Cubes are free to empty and reuse for the new purpose. I am sure many photographers have similar CD storage solutions from the past?
The dimensions indicate that it will hold my cameras with lenses mounted, and additional lenses nicely, keeping them dust free, easily accessible, and all in one place. The oak wood cabinets will look very nice in the den with the other oak furniture I have there ... and my wife should be happy too.
I normally keep all my bags out-of-sight in the door-access shelved cabinets which are part of my built in bookshelf in the den, so they are very handy to get at as well.
